Battered and bruised - Yes, peri menopause can make PMT much worse for some people. I would have two weeks prior to a period when I was absolute murder to live with as the symptoms got worse. That would stop as soon as my period started - it was almost like throwing a switch. At the time I was taking Vitamin E, Evening Primrose Oil and various other natural products, but the symptoms were still severe enough to send me to the doctor. If I'm being honest I wonder whether, even if I had been fully aware of the risks, I would have turned down the HRT treatment. What scared me was that, if I had those symptoms during peri menopause, what would menopause be like? It is no fun to spend half your time testing the patience of any saints who might happen to stick around.

My mother had extreme problems as well - whether this was coincidental or a genetic inheritance I don't know.